News from Greater Minnesota and South Dakota

December 2014

Dec 31, 2014

While some Minnesotans are fretting about the consequences to Republican outreach to communities of color following the disclosure of a decade-plus old appearance before a white nationalist group on the part of the U.S. House's Majority Whip, Bluestem suspects that we might look closer to home for connections the Grand Old Party might wish to loosen.

Witness Warren Throckmorton's blog at Patheos Evangelical, we learn that Minnesota State Rep Cindy Pugh Plugs Institute on the Constitution. Now, the Professor of Psychology at a private Christian school, Grove City College, doesn't get one detail right (Pugh represents Carver County and environs), he's accurate on the main points (the embedded Facebook video is slow to load):

Among other assignments, Pugh sits on the Higher Education and Finance committee. The IOTC course is riddled with errors and so it is disappointing to see it get a high profile endorsement.

We can add a longer perspective about the visit. Presenter Jake MacAulay--also known as "Jake McMillian"--was long the sidekick to toxic metal preacher and homophobe Bradlee Dean , whose May 2011 opening prayer delivered as a guest chaplain for Minnesota House of Representative was redacted from the record after Dean questioned President Obama's faith.

The League of the South is a neo-Confederate group that advocates for a second Southern secession and a society dominated by “European Americans.” The league believes the “godly” nation it wants to form should be run by an “Anglo-Celtic” (read: white) elite that would establish a Christian theocratic state and politically dominate blacks and other minorities. Originally founded by a group that included many Southern university professors, the group lost its Ph.D.s as it became more explicitly racist. The league denounces the federal government and northern and coastal states as part of “the Empire,” a materialist and anti-religious society.

This young preacher I refer to is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who just over fifty-one years ago addressed a crowd of 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. He called on the people of the various states - and the government of these United States - to live up to the principles espoused in the Declaration of Independence.

But it was not, as many have falsely claimed, a call for “civil” rights. In fact, in my view Dr. King was not a champion of “civil” rights. He was a champion of God-given rights.

Randolph and Wilkins agreed to sponsor the march, along with CORE,Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Urban League, and SNCC. They agreed on the goals of the march, which was scheduled for Wednesday, August 28:

Passage of meaningful civil rights legislation.

Immediate elimination of school segregation.

A program of public works, including job training, for the unemployed.

A Federal law prohibiting discrimination in public or private hiring.

A $2-an-hour minimum wage nationwide.

Withholding Federal funds from programs that tolerate discrimination.

Enforcement of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution by reducing congressional representation from States that disenfranchise citizens.

Tonight’s program, “Where Do We Go From Here?” featured a panel discussion with Mary Amlaw, Paul Carlson, David Fitzsimmons and Cindy Pugh. There was an individual presentation from each panel member and then questions were taken from the audience. .

. . .Cindy Pugh has optimism despite the election. Cindy listed the threats we face: (1) An illiterate, disengaged and lazy electorate. (2) The physical size and scope of our government. (3) The media. (4) The progressive movement – on both sides of the aisle. (5) The infiltration of the Muslim brotherhood.

Cindy encouraged us to bounce right back, be proud of 2010, to wake up as many people as possible. What we can do: (1) Set sights on 2014 with confidence. (2) Focus locally. The campaign starts now. Promote freedom and liberty. (3) Arm ourselves with knowledge … definition of terms, the treaties in which the Senate may vote away our sovereignty, Agenda 21. (4) Look into the other side’s narrative – what their talking points are. (5) Look into the Social Studies Standards at Education Liberty Watch and how our history is being rewritten in textbooks. (6) Pay attention to what the coalition of 57 Muslim nations is doing to promote law through the UN.

I had the privilege to be a part of a street ministry team for over a decade. My teammates and I permeated Minneapolis St. Paul and large sections of the U.S. for over 10 years with gospel tracks and the gospel message. I spent the greater part of this morning driving to different stores sitting in front of them remembering. Holiday stations Walmarts. Man I remember our conversations, the dollar hamburgers, monster drinks, miracles, night managers, emails, mothers crying when we would pray for them, free hot chocolate, "I will pray for you guys", I'll be right back, key chains. It was hard, but I will never forget you guys. We did what I have never seen done since. Your dedication and perseverance...thank you.

During the campaign for Minnesota House District 17A, Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) frequently noted that he hadn't read many new laws, even though he had his doubts about them.

The Women's Economic Security Act (WESA)? Didn't need to read it, as he said in a debate on Pioneer Public Television:

So that's even better that we're setting out for than for your, ah, your [spins finger] Economic Progress Bill or whatever it is.

I apologize that I have not read all of your bills. I have a job. I need to go out there and work. It's easy when you're in the legislature to stay on top of all the intricacies of this. I did not realize that this was going to be a test on the Andrew Falk bill writing academy.

Miller said he had an agreement with his employer, Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota, that if he won the election that he would resign his position because the job requires a full-time presence. . . .

It's unfortunate that Miller's job was so back-breaking that he couldn't find time to read bills and statutes, whether or not they were authored by Andrew Falk.

Having the spare time to read about laws and the office he was seeking might have helped Miller with his citizen legislator dilemma.

After we posted yesterday, we recalled that there is provision in Minnesota law to assist citizen legislators serve and keep their jobs. It wasn't hard to find mention of the measure. We found it on the Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature webpage under "Do Representatives and Senators receive special rights because of their office?":

Yes, they do have some special rights, mostly having to do with employment issues. In Minnesota, members of the Legislature are "citizen legislators" and most have jobs outside the Legislature. For example, a member of the Legislature who is employed in the private sector must be allowed to resume his or her old job or a position of similar seniority, pay, and status if he or she reapplies within 30 days after the end of the session. A member cannot be discharged because of time spent in legislative service, nor can they be denied their seniority or benefits.

In addition, no employer can discharge a member of the Legislature in retaliation for statements made or beliefs held in his or her capacity as a legislator. . . .

Perhaps Miller could have read and applied the law, then not wasted God's time on conducting a job search for him. Heavens knows that He has his hands full these days, though Jesus did tell us that He sees every little sparrow fall.

If this is the situation that the freshman lawmaker's gotten himself into, those of us who are Miller's constituents should hope that he's able to conduct better due diligence before he co-sponsors bills related to jobs and workforce development for the rest of us

After all, he'll be serving on the Greater Minnesota economic and workforce development policy committee, so we can only hope he doesn't sign away our opportunities the way he cast aside his own job.

Photo: Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg. Via his personal Facebook page.

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Miller said he had an agreement with his employer, Habitat for Humanity of West Central Minnesota, that if he won the election that he would resign his position because the job requires a full-time presence. . . .

While he knows he’s not aware of everything “that’s going to hit me” when he goes to St. Paul, Miller said he’s ready to take on the role of being a legislator.

“It’s an honor. It’s humbling,” he said.

As for the job hunt, Miller said he will likely return to consulting for non-profit or for-profit entities. “I’m confident God will provide,” he said.

Let's hope Jesus helps entities avoid any ethical complications that might ensue from hiring a legislator. Heaven knows what might happen if He doesn't provide sound boundaries for this one.

Update: The agreement seems a bit odd. According to the House website FAQ about the legislators:

Do Representatives and Senators receive special rights because of their office?

Yes, they do have some special rights, mostly having to do with employment issues. In Minnesota, members of the Legislature are "citizen legislators" and most have jobs outside the Legislature. For example, a member of the Legislature who is employed in the private sector must be allowed to resume his or her old job or a position of similar seniority, pay, and status if he or she reapplies within 30 days after the end of the session. A member cannot be discharged because of time spent in legislative service, nor can they be denied their seniority or benefits.

In addition, no employer can discharge a member of the Legislature in retaliation for statements made or beliefs held in his or her capacity as a legislator.

If the legislator is employed by a public entity, such as a city or a school district, he or she must be restored to his or her original position or a position of similar status. In addition, that person is entitled to an unpaid leave of absence during any or all of his or her term of office.

Photo: Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg.

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Dec 29, 2014

It’ll be six months before Minnesota’s medical marijuana program goes live, but Gov. Mark Dayton says he’s willing to consider pleas to expand the list of qualifying health conditions.

In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Dayton says he would listen to the advice of his Department of Health and medical experts about potential changes in the session that starts in January. But Dayton says he’s firm about restricting the forms of the drug. . . .

The commissioner of health shall consider the addition of intractable pain, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 152.125, subdivision 1, to the list of qualifying medical conditions under Minnesota Statutes, section 152.22, subdivision 14, prior to the consideration of any other new qualifying medical conditions. The commissioner shall report findings on the need for adding intractable pain to the list of qualifying medical conditions to the task force established under Minnesota Statutes, section 152.36, no later than July 1, 2016.

Bluestem welcomes Dayton's open-mindedness about the law and the work of his Commissioner of Health.

Photo: A vial of medical cannabis oil. While full plant extracts from the two manufacturers will be legal under the law, the unprocessed leaves of the plant may not be used. While Dayton is open for adding some conditions, he's deadset on changing this provision in current statute.

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Governor Dayton's Pheasant Summit generated some fascinating copy, including an interview with Minnesota Ag Commissioner Dave Frederickson in which he talked about just abolishing laws that require buffer strips regulations to be enforced because preserving water quality and habitat just creates too many hard feelings.

And we read a lot elsewhere about not pointing fingers at farmers, prompting the cartoon above about other sorts of bird dogging of the issues. That dog is setting the lobbyists, not the farmers.

. . . grassland habitat has shrunk, and the state's pheasant population has continued its long-term decline, as has the decline of pheasant hunters buying licenses and venturing afield.

In response, Dayton convened the state's first Pheasant Summit this month in Marshall, Minn. This pheasant hunter-dominated congress talked, brainstormed, complained, proposed and voted on a set of things to do.

Now those things lie at the feet of the Department of Natural Resources, its commissioner Tom Landwehr and, ultimately, Dayton, who appointed Landwehr and can direct the agency's policy as he sees fit.

Pheasant hunters -- and the much larger audience of advocates for wildlife and pollinator habitat, clean water and prairies -- should pay close attention to how this plays out in the next several months.

What should we look for? Orrick speculates:

That roadside-and-buffer enforcement earned the most votes is fortuitous for pheasant hunters.

For one, it's not some overly ambitious notion outside the purview of state government. Second, it's not new regulations. And third, and most importantly, it's a demand hardly unique to pheasant hunters.

Minnesota's Shoreland Protection Act, which requires grassy buffer strips along waterways and drainage ditches in farmed acres, wasn't intended primarily for the benefit of hunters. Rather, it's a clean-water law, intended to reduce erosion and runoff from fertilizers and pesticides. Such buffers also create close-to-crop habitat for honeybees, and several beekeepers -- honey farmers, if you will -- attended the summit in support of more grassland habitat.

Should support be needed in the Legislature -- and it's unclear whether it would -- it could come from metro clean-water and pollinator advocates who might not otherwise stick out their necks for hunters. . .

Orrick points out that while bonding for wildlife management area (WMA) acquisition is a long shot in a budget year, there's a chance the birds-buffers-and-bees coalition will find some cover:

But don't count out some support from farmers. Republican Paul Anderson, who owns a 700-acre farm near Starbuck, Minn., and has a neighbor who keeps bees, said, at first glance, that enforcing stream and ditch buffer requirements "makes sense." When the Legislature convenes Jan. 6, Anderson will chair the Agriculture Policy Committee

Committee vice-chair Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) is also hearing from conservationists in her district about enforcing the buffer requirements, she tells Bluestem Prairie.

This seems like a conservative and common sense approach that could serve water quality as a well as wildlife and agriculture, which does depend on pollinators. It's important that we have this conversation.

We'll keep an eye out.

Cartoon by Ken Avidor for Bluestem Prairie.

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In the article, Rep. Rod Hamilton said the new committee structure recognized the importance of agriculture to the state. It's remarkable that when he last chaired the Agriculture Finance Committee, he cut $1.5 million from the Governor's agriculture budget. Under the DFL's leadership, Minnesota's agriculture was prioritized, and we supported our farmers and friend working in the agriculture industry by investing more in them, an increase to the tune of $4.7 million, or 6 percent.

Considering that, I find it interesting to read how the importance of agriculture wasn't recognized the past two years.

I'm proud of the tremendous progress that we made in the past two years in Minnesota, especially in agriculture and food issues. Not only did we bolster our financial support for agriculture and ensure surplus crops to go feed hungry Minnesotans, we shifted from earmarks for stakeholders (special interests) under AGRI to merit-based grants, expanded scholarships for agricultural education, extended the Farmer-Lender Mediation Act, increased landowners' rights when power companies seek to use their land and ensured our honey producers continue to thrive and pollinate our crops.

It's disappointing that it appears Minnesotans are being divided over this issue yet again. I represent a metropolitan district but am actively engaged with my family farm and that isn't unique among Metro citizens. We're all part of one Minnesota, and we should look for how we can unite around agriculture, rather than to reignite old conflicts. When we work together, we work for the benefit of all Minnesotans. I look forward to working with the new committee chairs to build on the progress of the past two years.

. . .But he's also a hunter, farmer and small-business owner, putting him in a rare category at the Legislature.

As a former research assistant with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture whose master's thesis was on the "effects of fly ash on irrigated soils" and as a landowner who has about 150 acres enrolled in conservation programs, he has first-hand knowledge on the technical aspects of conservation, perhaps more than any of his colleagues. . . .

Hansen, who is married and has a 9-year-old son, traces his roots far from the metro.

He was raised in Freeborn County, along the Iowa border, the oldest of two boys. His father was a school bus driver and farmer who "tilled 40 acres by hand;" his mother was a substitute teacher. There were 26 kids in his high school. . . .

House speaker-designate Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, is a guy whose personality is praised by members of both major parties. However, he said in a Forum News Service interview that his voting record is very similar to the more fiery Drazkowski.

Four years ago, Republicans owned the House and Senate, while votes just put Democrat Mark Dayton in the governor’s office. Republicans were bold and tough in negotiations, and Dayton blamed a three-week state government shutdown on Republican inflexibility. Republicans, of course, deny that and blame Dayton for the problems, but the GOP did lose both legislative bodies two years ago.

House Republicans make it clear this time around that they understand the need to work with the DFL-controlled Senate and Dayton, and have toned down rhetoric. At least they have until the session begins at noon Jan. 6.

We don't recall that "rhetoric" was the issue during the 2011 shutdown as the positions that the Republican majority took on issues.

Photo: Steve Drazkowski, talking. Apparently, if his words about chopping down black walnut trees in state parks or testing people on public assistance are nicer, all problems with them are solved.

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Seth (Iyokpiya Kaga Sni) Eastman prepped for this year’s Dakota 38 + 2 Ride with his community deep in mourning over the November 22 mass shooting that resulted in the death of 4 Sisseton-Wahpeton tribal members and left one badly wounded. During his preparations for the ride he envisioned going to that house and taking a spirit horse there. He said he was told by Jim Miller the founder of the ride, “In the Dakota way the spirit horse will gather whatever spirit is left there.”

The Dakota 38 + 2 Ride was begun in 2005 by Jim Miller from a vision he had to commemorate and promote healing and reconciliation over the 1862 mass hanging of 38 (and later two more) Dakota men ordered by President Lincoln in Mankato, Minnesota the site of the largest mass hanging in U.S. History. The Dakota men were being executed on December 26, the day after Christmas for a Dakota uprising when the United States did not honor treaties signed with four Dakota bands giving up 35 million acres of land which left their families facing starvation. . . .

Richard Milda, who led the ride this year after Miller was injured said, “38 riders went to Sisseton because of the shooting that happened up there. The riders went there and circled the house and rode out to Old Agency and got a lot of support. We were very mindful of the people who are still grieving.”

We've learned more about what happened to a rider on the Dakota 38 Memorial Ride. Shelly Bausch's family says that while Shelly did fall from her mule and received stitches, her cause of death is from epilepsy.

And while the tragedy has hit the riders on their way to Mankato, they say they are still riding on to honor her and the 38 Dakota Indians who were hung in Mankato during the Dakota Conflict.

Shelly Bausch from Nebraska was on the memorial ride when her mule jumped, causing her to fall and hit her head.

She was treated with 15 stitches and released from the hospital, but died the next day.

Arvol Lookinghorse says, "Our prayers go out to the family. We told our riders we can't question the spirit and that we pray for everyone."

To learn more about the ride, watch the Smooth Feather documentary, "Dakota 38":

Dec 25, 2014

Newly appointed to the House ag finance committee Glenn Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe) and representative-elect Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) are vowing to stymie the dirty hippie dreams of Greater Minnesota conservationists and their pals at the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The Hutchinson Leader's Jeremy Jones reports in Minnesota representatives get their assignments that Gruenhagen and Miller are so not letting clean water, soil health and other pesky externalities get in the way of policy for agribusiness.

First, there's Gruenhagen talking about federal water policy:

Agriculture Finance Committee

“We are a farming district. I haven’t served on there before, so I wanted to be part of whatever comes out of session to affect farmers,” Gruenhagen said. “I am especially concerned about federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and their wanting to regulate water and other aspects of farming. As a free-market person, I will be opposing anything that would infringe on private property rights.”

Take that, downstream neighbors and Gulf Stream shrimp!

And Miller is on Gruenhagen's team. Jones reports:

Agriculture Finance Committee

Miller will join Gruenhagen on this committee.

“The backbone of the economy in my district is agriculture,” he said. “I want to be sure we promote it in the best way for the industry. I think we have some regulatory issues that need to be worked on, and misconceptions about the role of ag in the environment. We may hear some of that on this committee.”

Balance? Science? Never mind the other part of the equation.

What would Rod Hamilton do?

Moreover, the strictly anti-environmental policy focus of their remarks seem at odds with the finance agenda that Agriculture Finance Chair Rod Hamilton is sharing with Forum Communications' Don Davis in Republicans prepare new rural agenda:

Hamilton said one of his top priorities is finding workers to fill thousands of vacant agriculture-related jobs. “There is a huge shortage of agriculture professionals.”

Part of the solution, he said, is to encourage the state’s universities and colleges to train more high school ag teachers. The state also could support a variety of organizations that promote farming to young people, he added.

. . .Also, Hamilton said, the University of Minnesota needs to increase spending on crop and livestock disease research. “It is an absolute must that we invest in more research at the University of Minnesota.”

Hamilton said money to support more ag spending could come from rethinking budget priorities, and freeing some money now going to other programs.

Maybe Hamilton can assist both guys in focusing on ag finance rather than ag and environmental policy.

Photo: Tim Miller. Via Facebook.

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China’s refusal to accept U.S. corn last year grown from a type of genetically-modified seed has triggered a flurry of lawsuits nationwide, and a group of lawyers is now encouraging Meeker County farmers to join in suing Minnetonka-based seed producer Syngenta.

A Texas litigator, Mikal Watts, visited Litchfield and several other area communities last week to explain his case against Syngenta and invite farmers to participate in a lawsuit. About 40 farmers attended a meeting last Wednesday at Litchfield Eagles Club to learn about the trade disruption and its alleged connection to a collapse in corn prices the past year.

Watts has teamed up with local lawyers, including Mark Wood of Rue & Wood in Litchfield, to recruit plaintiffs. “I do a lot of work for farmers,” Wood said last week, “and I’m recommending they get into it.” At last Wednesday’s meeting, Litchfield attorney John Mueller also said he’s encouraging clients to file suit. . . .

Watts said Minnesota corn farmers are in a unique situation because Syngenta’s U.S. operation is based in Minnesota. This means Minnesota farmers can file their suits in state courts, including in Meeker County District Court. Plaintiffs suing Syngenta in other states must file in federal courts. Pursuing litigation in a state court is generally better than having to navigate through the federal system, Watts noted.

Watts made no promises in terms of the amount of time it would take to litigate the cases or a possible judgement amount. On a national level, he said, trade disruptions with China caused farmers an estimated $6.3 billion in damages. A court victory would not turn local farmers into “millionaires,” he said, but it could help farmers recoup part of their losses when corn prices plunged from around $7.50 a bushel to about $3.50 a bushel in about a year.

At issue is a Syngenta strain of genetically-modified seed known as Agrisure Viptera MIR162. Syngenta allegedly sold the seed to U.S. farmers before obtaining permission from China to export it there. The seed constituted only a small percentage of corn grown in the U.S., but it was allegedly mingled with other corn types, and China reportedly rejected shipments of corn with traces of MIR162. By rejecting the corn, China effectively increased corn supply, which caused corn prices to fall, Watts alleges. Syngenta had a responsibility to obtain China’s approval for the seed before selling it to farmers, according to Watts. . . .

Read the entire article in the Independent Review. According to China approves imports of GMO Syngenta corn, Pioneer soy, a report earlier this week by Reuters, the companies have issued statements saying that specific GMO products have finally been approved for import by the Chinese government.

As the Independent Review had noted, Agrisure Viptera MIR162 had not been approved before this announcement.

German pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $650 million to settle the claims of approximately 4,000 people who were allegedly injured by use of the drug Pradaxa.

San Antonio-based trial lawyer Mikal Watts, of the law firm Watts Guerra LLP, served as a co-lead counsel in the lawsuit.

Pradaxa is an anticoagulant agent that is prescribed to help lower the risk of stroke among people suffering from the common heart condition known as atrial fibrillation. Since it was approved for use in 2010, more than 1,600 individuals have filed lawsuits in state and federal courts in the United States alleging they suffered bleeding events caused by the drug. . . .

A federal criminal investigation of Mikal Watts and his firm, Watts Guerra, has not yet reached a conclusion, even though Watts' civil lawyer had predicted at a February federal court hearing that a conclusion would come by June.

Robert McDuff, a solo criminal defense lawyer from Jackson, Miss., represents Watts and his firm. McDuff wrote in an email to Texas Lawyer, "Our understanding is that the investigation is ongoing. At the conclusion, we hope that the U.S. attorney will agree with us that there is no basis for his office to take action with respect to Mikal's work on the BP case. In the meantime, Mikal continues to discharge his obligations to his clients in various cases." . . .

Watts and his firm have strenuously denied the allegations BP made in its complaint. In a statement issued to Texas Lawyer at the time of the BP complaint, McDuff wrote, "BP's attack is unfair and unwarranted. Working with other lawyers representing a wide array of oil spill victims, Mr. Watts devoted thousands of hours to uncovering the misdeeds of BP that led the oil spill and that disrupted the lives of many thousands of people who live in the region."

This lawyer appears to be as serious as a heart attack when it come to litigation. We'll keep an eye out for more reports in the Independent Review.

The case against Syngenta appears to center on the responsibly of the corporation with regard to trade disruptions with China, rather than the safety of the GMO corn trait itself.

Photo: Corn dumping of another kind occurred when China refused to buy some American corn that contained the Agrisure Viptera MIR162 trait, which was not yet apporved for import into the Asian country.

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Rep. Phyllis Kahn long has pushed a bill to allow Minnesota farmers to grow hemp.

There are new efforts in many states to allow growth of the plant, which can be turned into products as diverse as ropes and paper. Even homes can be built from hemp.

. . . .Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, is one of many rural lawmakers who have supported Kahn's bills over the years. If the Minneapolis Democrat pushes it again in 2015, Hamilton will be there.

"Hemp used to be extremely viable" before it was outlawed over fears it could be used to hide marijuana, said Hamilton, who prefers using the word "cannabis" instead of marijuana.

In addition to Hamilton, Representative Mary Franson, who co-authored last session's bill with Kahn, will serve as vice chair of the Ag Policy Committee. Franson was criticized for her support of allowing farmers to grow hemp by her militantly anti-cannabis Republican challenger. Franson defeated her in the endorsing convention and went on to win in November with her strongest showing so far.

Both the Minnesota Farm Bureau and the Minnesota Farmers Union support adding hemp to producers' rotations.

Anderson also said he is interested in addressing a declining bee population where it relates to farming, discussing food labeling for genetically modified organisms and hearing ideas regarding unmanned aircraft used for scouting crops.

Earlier media accounts had reported that pollinator policy was unlikely to be on the legislature's agenda in the coming session. As some of the other agenda items may not prove to be so valuable, we look forward to learning the details of just what Anderson's statement means.

Photo: Industrial hemp is a profitable crop that can be made into many useful products including wicks.

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In most years, Republicans could be expected to reject any tax increase proposal. But some in the GOP, including a leader or two, say there could be tax increases for priority items such as nursing homes and transportation. . . .

"I don't think this is the time of year you rule out taxes," Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, said. "This is the time you throw all the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks."

House speaker-designate Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, has left the door open, if only slightly, for new tax revenues.

That's not exactly the sort of rhetoric we saw in the flood of charming postcards that the Minnesota Jobs Coalition--headed then by the guy who's now the executive director for Daudt's caucus--but okay then.

Republicans campaigned before the November election against the $2 billion tax increase approved by Dayton and his Democratic legislative colleagues when the DFL controlled the Legislature and governor's office the past two years.

Some Republicans could consider a tax increase as a top priority. For Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, that exception would be nursing homes.

"At least on the nursing homes, I would support some kind of an increase of some form of tax or revenue increase," Anderson said. "I think it is that serious out here in rural Minnesota."

Both say more money is needed for Minnesota's roads and bridges and that they're willing to consider tax increases to generate it.

Both say state funding for senior care is a leading concern for the largely rural District 12B.

Anderson and Wagner both say they'd consider increasing fuel taxes to generate that revenue. Anderson said in an interview that his support for such an increase would be linked to how the new revenues would be split between urban and rural projects.

Anderson struck a different note in response to a Times questionnaire, saying he's not sure if the public would support a gas-tax increase.

. . . Both candidates also say state funding for senior care is a concern.

In response to the Times questionnaire, Anderson said he'd consider supporting a tax increase if the additional revenue went to nursing homes.

"We are close to a crisis situation, I think, in funding long-term care," Anderson said.

. . . My approach will be to set a budget that funds our priorities without increasing taxes. Just two years ago the current House majority passed the largest tax increase our state has ever seen. That turned into rising revenue for the state, but families have not had the same luxury since earnings have remained flat.

A top priority in the upcoming legislative session should be to provide those people with tax relief instead of rushing out to find new ways to spend their money.

As Torkelson told Davis, who knows what will stick.

Photo: Representative Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck), who may or may not be open to tax hikes or tax cuts. We'll see what sticks--and how they'll pay for their agenda.

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Looking through the Solution Center, we discovered that the Grand Old Party is offering nothing under the "Safety and Security" rubric, as well as no reading material. We've posted the current infographic at the top of this entry.

Here's a screenshot of the bottom of the graphic as it now resides on the MNGOP website (the time and date are in the lower right hand corner of the image):

The main Solution Center page text for the section outlines the party's goals:

We're reminded of Bakk's statement last week when he talked about "DFL" attempts to raid the IRRRB's Douglas Johnson Funds, when the public record and Nexis database clearly indicate those raids were planning by Republicans: former Governor Pawlenty and the 2011 Republican-controlled state legislature, as well as the fantasy administration outlined in Tom Emmer's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. (Check it out in Range Trust? Baffling Senate Majority Leader Bakk blames IRRRB fund threats on Democrats).

Given the way that the State DFL scolds party activists who dare criticize sitting Democratic legislators, we're puzzled just how Bakk has wiggled himself into having a waiver on that party rule.

Graphics: From the GOP Solutions Center.

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The former legislator from Marshall claims he has never accepted lobbyist contributions in his previous campaigns and will hold to that standard his newest quest for the governor's office.

“Not accepting lobbyist contributions so far this election ... has made my campaign unique,” Seifert said Tuesday in a statement. “I feel strongly that my opponents should also agree to live by this same standard.”

One would almost have thought there was something wrong with lobbyists from the sounds of that.

Seifert says he’s never taken lobbyist contributions and wants Dayton, whom Seifert hopes to unseat this fall, to do the same.

“Not accepting lobbyist contributions so far this election, and in all my previous elections, has made my campaign unique,” said Seifert in a press release.

Seifert’s campaign finance reports don’t include lobbyist contributions. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t taken them.

PoliGraph looked at contributions to Seifert’s state House and gubernatorial bids, and found no donors who were identified as lobbyists. The Seifert campaign also said that it does not actively seek contributions from federal lobbyists.

But Seifert has taken contributions from at least two lawyers who work for the well known lobbying and legal firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen: Charlie Nauen and Joseph Bruckner each gave Seifert $200 in 2004.

Additionally, Seifert has taken large sums of money from interest group, corporate and lobbying firm political action committees.

For instance, during his previous gubernatorial bid, Seifert took $25,000 from political action committees formed by interest groups representing car retailers, nurse anesthetists, hospitals, sugar beet growers and gasoline retailers, among others.

Of that $25,000, more than $3,600 came from political action committees formed by legal and lobbying shops, including Best & Flanagan, Dorsey & Whitney, Faegre Baker Daniels, Gray Plant Mooty, Lindquist & Vennum, Messerli & Kramer and Winthrop & Weinstein.

So, in the strictest sense, Seifert hasn’t taken contributions from individual lobbyists. But he has taken money from interest groups that lobby on behalf of the companies and employees they represent. . . .

Bluestem wishes former Minority Leader Seifert well in his new career as a lobbyist.

Photo: Marty Seifert.

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Dec 22, 2014

Jean Wagenius has been a friend of family farmers in the last two years(and for that matter for a whole lot of years that she has served in the legislature) that she chaired the environment and agriculture finance committee on a number of issues, naming two of which are pollinators and “Forever Green”. She has been a strong defender of environmental review and gets that rural citizens should have rights to have a say about air and water quality in their community. Republican leadership acts like they are going to be bi-partisan but actions are louder than words.

The headline doesn't tell it all: the DFL House Caucus and Minority Leader-elect Paul Thissen had asked that she be the minority lead on the committee, as is the established custom. To preserve comity, custom and usage is to allow the minority caucus to pick its leadership on committees.

Our farmer friend followed his first email up with a second message after we said that we were mulling over what to say:

Glad to hear you are doing a piece regarding this. Interesting to note while reviewing some notes from the past two years that Jean was chair(2014 and 2015) the AGRI(Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation) fund increase from $641,422 for 2012 and $2,301,000 for 2013 under a Republican controlled House and Senate and while Jean was chair the AGRI fund increase[d] to $10,235,000 for 2014 and $10,235,000 for 2015.

As you remember Hamilton was really mad when two years ago Jean was also Ag. Finance Chair while she was also the environment chair.

Daudt's autocratic decision to bounce a wise and experienced legislator doesn't bode well from our prespective here in Chippewa County.

But perhaps more troubling is the tendency of media to accept the notion that rural Minnesota is a monolith--that we speak with one voice and totally agree with the notion that environmentalism is a "metro-centric" concept feared by the horny-handed tillers of the soil.

It's fueled by a DFL which proved unable to speak during this year's campaigns about sound environmental legislation passed in the last session--thereby allowing Republicans and their corporate allies to brand concerns about clean water and air, healthy soil and habitat as "metro-centric."

Representative Wagenius serves a House District in Minneapolis--but her insights into policy and legislative memory serve us all. Let's hope that the Caucus can grow a spine on talking about environmental concerns as a common issue statewide.

Photo: Jean Wagenius (lower left) and family members.

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Dec 21, 2014

Reading up on the first steps in the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board's creation of the Range Trust out of the potentially unguarded Douglas J Johnson Trust fund, we were given pause by Majority Leader Tom Bakk's remarks in a Northland News report, IRRRB approves trust fund protection plan:

But in the last decade, Sertich and Senator Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) said lawmakers from outside the Iron Range have tried to tap into the 150 million dollar trust fund for other state projects.

"This threat is way more real than you know. I have had Democratic - very, very senior Democratic members of the legislature - come to me when the state was having serious financial problems during the Pawlenty years and say, Geez Tom, don't you think we could borrow ten million from the trust fund to balance the budget?" said Sen. Bakk.

This is a fairly baffling thing for Bakk to say, and the news report says nothing about the attempted open raids on the Johnson trust funds that actually have been attempted and preserved for the record.

Since it's on a Duluth television state, Bakk's observation seems intended for the general Northland/Range population, not his colleagues in the legislature. We have to wonder why Bakk's telling them that Democrats were the architects of past attacks, rather than the members of the party that actually moved to grab the funds.

The bill passed on straight party lines, but didn't surprise Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commissioner Tony Sertich. "Unfortunately some politicians have proposed to do this in the past as well and it's unfortunate because these are local property tax dollars," said Commissioner Sertich.

The Iron Range delegation tried hard to make that point during budget talks at the Capital. The Douglas J Johnson Trust Fund is comprised of funds from Mining Company production taxes. This money is paid instead of the companies paying property tax. Proposed amendments from range law makers to take money from other areas failed to gain traction.

"I think you have every right to come down here and defend your fund. I think the other people who are going to vote with Representative Gunther have every right to feel like this is just a time where we have an asset available to us and it's appropriate to use it," said Representative of District 41A, Keith Downey.

"Its local money and it would be inappropriate to use it to balance the state budget. It's unfair because they are asking for 70 percent of the cuts to come from the 3 percent of the population from northeastern Minnesota," said Commissioner Sertich.

Freshman lawmaker and IRRRB member Carly Melin of Hibbing said it would take years to rebuild the fund, as the cut would take nearly half of the existing account.

"At the very best it would take us 3 decades to get those $60 million back. That is not including interest; that is not including the millions of dollars lost. And that is not taking into account that it's a finite resource and once the taconite tons are gone, they are gone forever," said Representative Melin.. . .

Having long advocated for IRRRB reforms, I think the agency should reconstitute what’s called the “Douglas J. Johnson Economic Trust” into something with more identifiable results. A Gov. Tom Emmer would have raided the fund and quite possibly disbanded the agency, so the clock is ticking.

The GOP used this rather skillfully as a negotiating chip. Knowing that Gov. Dayton would never approve of the raid, they got to use this as a bargaining chip that probably cost the DFL in other areas.

Given all that, we're wondering why the Senate Majority Leader was singling out fellow DFLers as the raiders, rather than, say, those names of the Republicans who actually and very publicly went there.

Photo: Tom Bakk.

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Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, said she doesn't think there's lot of disagreement on key issues, rather the issues are rural v. metro. Metropolitan legislators have a large learning curve when it comes to rural Minnesota, she said, whereas rural legislators are aware of metropolitan issues.

Permitting will be an issue, particularly where a citizens board ruling can trump an agency decision, Rosen said.

As is obvious from the comments to the MPCA, there's no agreement about this dairy in Stevens County, regardless of how often Senator Rosen asserts none exists.

Indeed, our sources tell Bluestem that members of the Senate Rural Task Force heard a great deal of disagreement with Senator Rosen's assertions from rural Minnesotans after Land Stewardship Project (LSP) issued an action alert asking Minnesotans to contact the senators on the Task Force.

As a result of the decision, the dairy, which has operations in western Minnesota and South Dakota, will build this facility in South Dakota, Rosen said.

We're checking on this claim, as we can find no information that the dairy is going to be built in South Dakota. Indeed, Riverview Dairy is going ahead with another dairy in Kandiyohi County, as Carolyn Lange reported in an article published in Prairie Business, 8,800-head dairy OKed for operation west of Willmar:

Construction of an 8,800-animal-unit dairy operation will begin next spring west of Willmar, Minn.

Meadow Star Dairy, which is owned by Riverview LLP based in Morris, was granted a conditional use permit earlier this month by St. Johns Township.. . .

The final piece came this year when the dairy industry took a sharp turn upward. The positive economy and Riverview’s over-abundance of dairy heifers made the timing right to build a new facility in Kandiyohi County, Fehr said.

“We have cows and we need a home for them,” Fehr said.

Following a public hearing on Nov. 7 in Pennock, the permit for Meadow Star Dairy was unanimously approved by the township.

Riverview Dairy is also pursuing a large dairy project in Traverse County which was permitted by the MPCA in July 2009 [pdf here]. PDFs of the Traverse County Board of Commissioners minutes in which the Dollymount Dairy is discussed are available here.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is inviting public comment on draft permit applications to increase the liquid manure storage capacity at four of Riverview's dairy facilities. The 30-day comment period on all of the applications will end Jan. 15, 2015.

The four draft permit applications address facilities at the District 45 Dairy in Moore Township, West River Dairy in Synnes Township, and Dublin Dairy and East Dublin Dairy in Swift County.

Riverview would like to increase the liquid manure storage capacity at each facility by adding one or two (just East Dublin Dairy) additional earthen lined liquid manure storage areas. The final capacity at each of the facilities will remain the same.

The draft permit applications are available for review on the MPCA General Permit webpage at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/udgx69b or at the Willmar Minnesota Pollution Control Agency office (1601 East Highway 12, Suite 1). The MPCA will mail or e-mail a copy of the draft permit application upon request. The MPCA contact person for the project is George Schwin. . . .

We have not found any sources that discuss a new Riverview dairy in South Dakota in addition to the thousands of cows at the new dairies in Kandiyohi and Traverse Counties. Perhaps once they're built, we'll hear more about that chilling effect from Senator Rosen.

. . . More often, Daudt is described as young (he’s 41), single, a former car salesman and Isanti County board member, and greener in House seniority than any speaker since the pioneer era. He’s about to start his third term. . . .

I’ll concede that calling Daudt a reformer is a bet on the come. Still, that label started to stick at a Dec. 11 legislative preview for Capitol insiders hosted by the Fredrikson and Byron law firm, as Daudt made his third or fourth mention within about 10 minutes of a desire to make lawmaking more problem-focused, data-based, analytical and open to new ideas. And frugal, too — Daudt is, after all, a conservative Republican.

Here’s a sample:

• On lagging learning: “I’m going to challenge the Democrats to come to the table, leave the special interests out of the room and look at why we have an achievement gap. You’ve got to truly analyze what’s causing the problem before you try to fix it. … If spending money solved the problem, we wouldn’t have an achievement gap. This needs new thinking.” . . .

It occurred: This isn’t the usual presession prattle from leaders about cooperation and bipartisanship. And it isn’t the naiveté of a total rookie. Daudt may be a greenhorn speaker, but he’s been minority leader for the past two years.

It occurred to Bluestem that we'd actually heard and read these sort of statements before and thus turned to our friends Mr. Nexis and Mr. Google to determine whether our memory were failing, as modern medicine and the march of time suggest happens to people of a certain age.

So we looked to what former minority leader Kurt Zellers had to say for himself as he ascended into the Speaker's role in 2011.

The new speaker of the House is Rep. Kurt Zellers, 41, an affable and respected leader who grew up on a farm in North Dakota, was first elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2003 and lives in Maple Grove with his family. As speaker, he replaces DFL Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Zellers sat down with the Pioneer Press Opinion Page staff a few days ago to talk about the new majority's goals, the session ahead and working with Gov.-elect Mark Dayton, a DFLer. Here are excerpts, edited for clarity and brevity.

On taxes, after a governor campaign in which to-raise-or-not-to-raise was the focus

I don't think that's the first place we should start. Whatever we agree on would be a great place to start, instead of the fight everybody's looking for, that everybody's expecting. Some of the regulatory relief, (Dayton) has talked about, as a business owner, as someone who's worked in the business world, that we have to be competitive.

Daudt is the same age as Zellers was when he became speaker, although Zellers became minority leader in his 4th term (or 3 1/2, since he was elected in a 2003 special election), while Daudt assumed the reins in his second term. Experience, rather than youth, is the key here.

Republican leaders at the Legislature unveiled $1 billion worth of cuts at a news conference Tuesday as they start to address what House Speaker Kurt Zellers called a “pretty insurmountable” $6.2 billion deficit. Cuts, however, are only half of the equation they bandied on the campaign trail.

Government reform is a major part of their plan to get out of the red without raising taxes, but specifics about redesign proposals – and the cost savings associated with them -have been elusive so far. . . .

You get the drift.

And what about when Steve Sviggum--by then no legislative spring chicken and at 47 older than Daudt or Zellers--became Speaker in 1999? It's good to remember that those were the times that tried Republican and Democratic souls, since voters had just turned down Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey for governor in favor of Jesse Ventura.

A Lexis search revealed that the big talk was of tax cuts given the surplus.

But there were other items, via Nexis:

Republicans made quick work of changes deemed necessary when they regained control of the House after 12 years as the minority party. Speaker-designate Steve Sviggum (R) plans to reduce the number of committees by five down to 27 and wants controversial policy measures kept out of large appropriations bills. In addition, the Judiciary Committee -- bogged down during the last two-year legislative session with nearly 700 bills -- will be split into two new committees: a Crime Prevention Committee and Civil Law Committee. (STAR TRIBUNE) (Star Net, December 7, 1998, Nexis All News, accessed 12/21/2014)

And this:

The new speaker of the Minnesota House opened the 1999 legislative session Tuesday by pledging to cooperate with the other parties in the state's new tri-partisan government.

After taking the gavel, Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, turned first to DFL Minority Leader Tom Pugh of South St. Paul and said "I know we will work together."

The big question of this legislative session is exactly how well the Republican-controlled House, DFL-controlled Senate and Reform Party Gov. Jesse Ventura will work together. Sviggum sounded optimistic during his speech.

"What lies behind us and what lies between us is very, very small, very, very tiny compared to what lies within us: To be able to work cooperatively with the people of Minnesota," he said.("House GOP leader promises harmony as '99 session opens," Bill Wareham, Associated Press, January 5, 1999,Nexis All News, accessed 12/21/2014)

In short, Daudt's no "legislative doctor" but the usual promise of a new start as the Speaker's gavel changes party hands.

Photo: Spring chickens. There's a new flock every session.

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Dec 20, 2014

In keeping with Speaker-elect Kurt Daudt's idealistic policy on matching a legislator's real-world experience with committee assignments, Representative Nick Zerwas (R-Elk River) has been appointed to serve on the Minnesota House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee.

The former Elk River City Council member and Elk River High School graduate, who is completing his first term in the Minnesota House of Representatives, was stopped for speeding Aug. 2 along Interstate 94 in Maple Grove.

A New Hope police officer stopped Zerwas during a Toward Zero Death traffic enforcement detail after seeing his car go by at a high rate of speed from the Boone Avenue ramp to Westbound 694, according to the officer’s incident complaint report.

The officer pursued and eventually got behind Zerwas and clocked him at 80 MPH before activating his emergency lights.

Zerwas told the Star News he had been visiting with friends from college in the Cities and had been drinking earlier in the day and thought enough time had lapsed when he headed home to Elk River.

“It was huge error in judgement to drive that day,” Zerwas said. “I wholly regret it. I immediately took responsibility and at the earliest opportunity I plead guilty.

“I accept full responsibility. I apologized in court to friends, my family, my colleagues and the folks I represent in Big Lake, Elk River and Otsego.”

Zerwas pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree DWI and was sentenced to 30 days in the Hennepin County workhouse. All but two days were stayed, and for those two days he performed community service.

“I am committed to making sure this type of incident never occurs again,” Zerwas said, noting his actions will speak louder than words.

Zerwas is up for re-election, and he is facing DFL-endorsed Brenden Ellingboe. When asked by the Star News if he thought he would suffer at the polls, he stated he didn’t know.”

“That wasn’t my immediate concern, and it isn’t my concern today,” he said from Willmar on Monday where he was helping distribute literature for a fellow Republican in a race that The GOP has targeted as one of the seven races that could restore control of the Minnesota House of Representives. “My immediate concern was letting people down, my family, disappointing my father, my other family members and friends and colleagues. That remains top of mind.”

Judge Thomas Fraser sentenced Zerwas to 30 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse, but stayed 28 days for two years provided he does not repeat his offense or other driving-related offenses. For the remaining two days he received a “sentence to service,” and performed 16 hours of community service.

We're hoping that his insights gained from the arrest and conviction will be put to good use by the committee--and by the legislature when it considers various bills intended to give a second chance for those who have paid the price for breaking our laws.

Republican Party of Minnesota used DWI law distortions in attack mail

In addition, we 're hoping that voters across the state will remember that the Republican Party drew fire from campaigning on public safety issues in a way that had drawn criticism from MADD and other groups.

Another series of mailers targeting DFL House members up for re-election has again drawn the ire of the party after saying Democrats are responsible for “putting convicted drunk drivers back on the roads” for passing legislation requiring people with multiple DWI convictions to use an ignition-interlock device. The mailers also triggered a response from the national president for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and, locally, Minnesotans for Safe Driving. . . .

DFL House caucus spokesman Michael Howard said the mail pieces refer to HF 2255, legislation that requires people with multiple drunken-driving convictions to use an ignition-interlock device, which requires a breath test by the driver before the vehicle can be started. The bill passed 71-57 in the House and unanimously in the Minnesota Senate.

“These last-minute attacks are designed to leave candidates with no time to respond and set the record straight, and they are shameful,” House Speaker Paul Thissen said in a statement. . . .

The mailers also triggered a response from MADD National President Jan Withers, who said the organization backed the legislation because she said requiring an interlock device is more effective than license revocation alone.

“MADD supported these measures because simply hoping that convicted DWI offenders will not drive on a revoked license is bad public policy,” Withers wrote in the letter to Thissen. “License revocation without an interlock requirement is like using cancer treatments that were best practices 25 years ago. If this ‘treatment’ were effective, there would not be over 63,000 Minnesota residents with three or more DWI convictions on their driving records.”

The letter does not appear to address the mailers, but instead thanks lawmakers “for working to reform the state’s drunken-driving law.”

Nancy Johnson, legislative liaison for Minnesotans for Safe Driving and a victim of drunken driving, expressed similar support for the law in a letter to Thissen, while condemning the mailers.

"The idea that the Legislature was being soft on drunk drivers when they passed a bill in 2014 which allowed those arrested and/or convicted of (criminal vehicular operation) to have Ignition Interlock available to them is ridiculous." Johnson wrote.

That's special.

UPDATE: A friend who helped the Mary Sawatzky campaign in the Willmar area answered a Bluestem inquiry about whether this MNGOP attack piece was mailed to voters in House District 17B. It was--adding irony to our story, since the Elk River story reports that Zerwas was "Willmar on Monday [the day before the election] where he was helping distribute literature for a fellow Republican in a race that The GOP has targeted as one of the seven races that could restore control of the Minnesota House of Representives." [end update]

Zerwas and "Get Out of Jail Free Card" bill

Zerwas had earlier been an outspoken voice in the kerfuffle over the supposed "Get Out Of Jail Free" legislative immunity cards that legislators hypothetically could use to avoid criminial arrests while the legislature was in session. (Investigations into the matter revealed that no one had actually attempted to use the card to escape a DUI stop since 1983; moreover, the courts had ruled against the notion as well).

The offense is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute 69A.20.1(1).

Photo: Nick Zerwas, known for his stash of snacks at his desk on the Minnesota House floor, offers state representative Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn) a chicken-and-waffle flavored potato chip during the 2013 debate over the passage of the Higher Education bill. Cropped, photo by Glenn Stubbe, Star Tribune.

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Dayton and DFL leaders offer their perspectives, turning over the speaker elect's career like a pair of hungry raccoons washing a captive minnow:

When asked if he trusts Daudt, Dayton responded quickly: “I have no reason not to.”

But he immediately added that he had a good relationship with Rep. Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove, speaker during the shutdown. The governor recalled that things went south in session-ending negotiations when the two sides could not agree on a budget.

“I knew that he was captive of his extreme right-wing caucus that was so inflexible ... that if he would agree to something reasonable that he would not be speaker an hour later,” Dayton said of Zellers.

Applying that experience to budget talks next year, Dayton said that success rests on whether “Rep. Daudt has the latitude and authorization to agree to or not.”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, D-Cook, said the problem is that Republicans long ago established an executive council that can control a speaker.

“I do think he sincerely wants to have a smooth session,” Bakk said of Daudt.

In her article, Bierschbach noted how the Republican's experience with an imperial speaker lead to the creation of the House Republican Caucus's executive council. In the Davis piece, Bakk notes the wild card of that structure:

The amount of freedom the executive council gives Daudt could determine the session’s success, Bakk said, adding that he has worked well with Daudt in recent years.

“I don’t know the extent they are going to empower him,” Bakk said. “Is the Kurt Daudt I know the one I will negotiate with or will he bring some baggage with him?”

In a recent interview, Daudt did not address the executive council, but said he has good relationships with Dayton and legislative leaders, including outgoing Speaker Paul Thissen, D-Minneapolis, who will be House minority leader.

It does appear that the executive council is composed of the more moderate members of the caucus, rather than the Gruenhagens among them.